Now you see him, now you don't ... Redblacks' William Powell making magic with football in his hands

Not only is William Powell possibly the most dynamic running back in the Canadian Football League, turns out he’s also pretty good at one of his hobbies – playing Fortnite.

When he’s not running around opponents – the Ottawa Redblacks star has 372 rushing yards in four games (third-best in the CFL, behind Andrew Harris and Don Jackson), Powell figures he spends at least an hour each day on the popular multi-player online shooting game – where, like football, teamwork is a big asset.

“I’m pretty good, but I’m still working on it,” said Powell. “I wouldn’t say I’m the GOAT, but I’m pretty good.”

When he’s got a football in his hands, Powell is more than good. Last season, after being injured for chunks of the first half of the season, he finished with 1,026 yards rushing – in just 12 games. That was just nine yards behind the talented Harris, the league-leader who played eight more games than the Redblack.

“To me, I don’t know that it’s even close, I think he’s the best running back in the league,” said Redblacks coach Rick Campbell. “I don’t think it’s a secret – 12 games (in 2017) and he almost led the league in rushing. It’s pretty self-explanatory.”

The 30-year-old Powell, who spent four years in the National Football League (in 2012, he rushed for 217 yards with the Arizona Cardinals), is soft-spoken, respectful and a good teammate. He’s not one to pat himself on the back. But others will do it for him.

“He’s my teammate, I’m trying to be objective, but I think he’s the best,” said offensive lineman SirVincent Rogers. “He’s humble, he doesn’t brag about what he does, he comes to work every day with the same smile. He’s a bright personality who’s a ton of fun to be around.”

Asked about how good he can be and how he stacks up against the elite players of the league, Powell said: “I try not to buy into any (hype), but at the same time I’m a confident player – I feel like I can do big things for this team. I like watching the other running backs – players like Andrew Harris and CJ Gable, they’re great. I love watching those guys, but I’m confident I can hang with anyone. I just come into work every day and try to get better.”

What he does on a football field is special. With his offensive linemen creating holes, Powell is able to accelerate and dart in and out of traffic. He makes defenders miss, grabbing at air, while his feet are moving forward.

“You stop and watch him from behind, you watch guys break ankles trying to tackle him,” said offensive lineman Jason Lauzon-Seguin. “It’s fun to watch, sometimes we’re wrong and he makes us right.”

“Either you make your block and you look at what’s going on 30 yards down the field or you’re running downfield, trying to figure out where he’s going to go, hoping you don’t knock him down,” said Rogers. “You might feel like you’re in his way sometimes, other times you’re in awe of what he’s doing in the open field.”

Said Powell: “You have to be able to see it to get to it. What comes next is getting to the hole and exploding through it. You can see everything, it’s like poetry in motion – everything’s just happening simultaneously. The O-line is a big part of my success. They open up lanes and give me the space so I can operate and make guys miss. If they give me some space, I feel like I’m able to do some magic when I get 1-on-1 with defenders.

“I grew up in Dallas so I was a big Emmitt Smith fan. He was a guy who had great vision, I feel like I have that, too. I liked to watch Reggie Bush, he was so elusive. I’m capable of doing some of those things. But I feel like I’m my own guy. I feel like I can do a bit of everything.

“When I was growing up, I wanted to be able to catch, I wanted to have agility and power. We played backyard football, a game called Throwback Tackle. They used to throw the ball back, I’d catch it and everybody was a defender. I’d try to make everybody miss. They had to bring me to the ground, it wasn’t two-hand touch – it was full contact, no pads. We probably started playing that when I was maybe five or six – throwing the ball around and tackling and roughhousing each other. We played with older kids, that’s what made the younger kids better.”

Powell came out strongly in the first three games of the Redblacks’ season (two of them Ottawa wins) with 94, 123 and 138 yards rushing, but the Stampeders paid extra close attention to him in last week’s 27-3 loss to Calgary – Powell had just 17 yards on eight carries. The Redblacks will look to get the ball into Powell’s hands Friday night at home vs. B.C. And you can bet he’ll do something when the opportunities come.

If Powell can stay healthy, he’ll be a catalyst to any success the Redblacks have in 2018. Could he be a Most Outstanding Player candidate?

“If guys on your team are getting awards, it probably means the team is successful,” said Powell. “But you never want to put yourself in front of the team. The primary goal is to win a Grey Cup and the rest will take care of itself.”

THE COACH SAYS

Speaking about rebounding from last week’s home loss to Calgary, Campbell said: “It’s a big game. It’s a home game. As you can see, the way things are working this year in the CFL, everybody’s stacked together so you have to cash in and win games. I know our guys are looking forward to getting out here and playing, for sure.”

THE END AROUND

Offensive lineman Evan Johnson will sit out this week, placed on the one-game injured list. The Redblacks’ depth chart shows Jon Gott moving to left guard, with Nolan MacMillan at right guard and Jason Lauzon-Seguin at right tackle. Rookie Mark Korte will be a backup. It will be MacMillan’s first game of the season. DB Sherrod Baltimore returns for Ottawa, LB Mickael Cote is also in … For the Lions, former Redblacks RB Jeremiah Johnson is on the one-game injured list. B.C. suffered a big blow earlier this week when all-star LB Solomon Elimimian was placed on the six-game injured list … It was Redblacks DB Jonathan Rose’s 25th birthday Thursday – teammates soaked him with an icy bucket full of water following practice.

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